Peacemaking
by Lone Wolf102
Summary: Prospit and the Alterrnian empire have been at war for the last 500 years and relations between Derse and Prospit are beginning to sour as well. A group of Prospitians are trying to make peace the best way they can. However, peace is never easily obtained.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

He could hear Jade's base as soon as the transportorlizator dropped him on her balcony. Dave had to step over potted plants as he slid the unlocked door open. The room was well lit and the TV was on. Jade wasn't looking at it as she sat with her back to him in a threadbare armchair; her base cradled in the arm with the mark that looked like a dog's head than a batch of skin. In fact, it looked like that devil beast's head who at the moment wasn't growling at him. Only because it was nowhere to be seen: damn mutt wasn't even a goddamned dog, it was probably one of those lucus-thingy that take care of trolls, after all hell murder island was crawling with them.

"Hi Dave!" She greeted, two froth teeth prominent in her smile.

"Hey" He took a seat on her couch, Jade stared at him, her smile falling.

"Dave, when was the last time you eat?"

"Today, had a big ole bowl of..."

She growled at him "No! You know what I mean." She paused as Rose had just knocked on the door, "I need to talk to you after the meeting." Because yes, Rose to the rescue.

He spoke too soon because Rose wasn't a source of rescue, she was further damnation. She floated over the potted plants, closed the door behind her, greeted Jade and him before taking a seat next to him on the couch. Once his cousin was settled, she pulled out a notebook and pen, turned to him and proceeded to psychoanalyze him with bullshit psychology that probably wasn't in her textbook. Jade sat back giggling at the situation as if it were a goddamned sitcom. Where the shiny blue fuck is John so this can be over with. He can be chewed out by Jade, go home, work on his comic and go to bed. And why da fuck was she asking him about Freud? Wasn't he discredited or some shit? He picked up the remote and surfed the channels until he found something he at least pretend to watch.

"Sorry I am late guys." Oh thank whatever flying spaghetti is listen because the of man the hour in here and this shitty show can get on the road. After he took a seat at the breakfast bar, Rose started with the updates. "Roxy is still working on the return node network and transportorlizators systems. Mixing magic and all the myriad of science that go into teleportation are not her specialty."

"Oh, I can help with that." Jade offered, Rose nodded.

"Construction on the island is ahead of schedule." Jade continued, "Skaia's headquarters should be really to go by summer next year."

"Little under a third of Prospit is now with Skaia."John reported, "Which is surprising but I guess a lot of people are tired of this war. But how will Broderick react when he finds out a third of his men defected?" All three of them look at Dave for a prediction and all hell he did not have an answer

"Not sure but I say we cross that bridge when we come to it."

"What about the bridge of Derse?" Rose asked

"That too." He didn't quite mean that.

"Dave!" Jade scorned

"What? The asshole is being uncooperative."

"Apparently he isn't the only one." Rose stated

Dave leaned farther back into the couch, "Look. I'm working on it and if Roxy is so close to him, Rose, she can work out the alliance with Derse."

"Rose, how's everything with the Heiress going?" Once again, thank you, John.

"Good actually, at the moment all we're waiting for is an exact date and preferred location."

Dave found himself surprisingly quiet as the meeting ended; Jade made everyone a list of objectives for the next month, matching her own with a set of colored rubber bands on her fingers. He didn't really need a list. All Dave had to do was reconcile fifteen years of embitterment with his brother, at least enough to make a reasonable agreement to form a reasonable alliance between Derse and Skaia. Wonderful. John and Rose cleared out quickly, both having 'early morning engagements' as Rose put it, leaving him alone with Jade which usually wasn't a bad thing except she was looking at him like a teacher about to call his parent. Like he'd just kicked another kid down a flight of stairs and was laughing about it. She set the base down and came to stand in front of the TV. Dave looked up as Jade pressed her lips to his.

He would have been pissed were it not for the sharp electric feeling of her kiss that made his stomach growl. She tasted super charged; warm and sweet like earth and growing things. The burst of power pushed back the fatigue he'd been feeling for the last few days but only slightly. She pulled away, leaving an inch between his lips. The space was filled with the sweet green mist that blurred out any thought that wasn't food and it's source that was so close. More, more; his hands reached for the source of his intoxication, he definitely needed ...and fuck no this was NOT happening.

Dave handled his arms out, pushed her away. He stood. Jade sat. "You promised me you wouldn't do that again!" He hissed, pacing away from the couch. Jade pulled her legs up until she sat with her legs crossed. "And you promise you'd take better care of yourself and eat when you're suppose to! Yet look what you haven't been doing!" She snapped back. "And don't tell me you have been eating because if you had, you would not have lost control like that!" She glared at him over her thick framed glasses.

"Jade, when I eat is not your problem."

"It is when it puts others at risk! When it puts your health at risk!" The two glared at one another for a few moments longer before Dave relented.

"I was planning to go tonight and I'll try to eat like should OK?"

"Don't say you'll try. Try implies failure."

"OK. I will eat when I should. Better? Can I leave now?"

"Yes, yes, you can." He was standing at the balcony doors before Jade spoke again "And Dave I 'm sorry I broke my promise to prove a point." He nodded in response.

The transportorlizator him standing on the roof of his shitty apartment as the wind chilled him to the bone. Dave really wasn't in the mood tonight, but he really needed to eat. The club, he headed to, wasn't far from his apartment so Dave took the scenic root in other words he jumped from roof top to roof top until he landed on top of the club. He landed on the rooftop of the building, the music from the dance floor thumped though four floors. The four floors were an arcade full of patrons, more humans than anything else, but the night club was full of trolls and dersites. Roxy's establishment, which was all he could really call it; like what do you call a night club and an arcade all under one roof, a barcade. Naw. A game club. Maybe. Anyway, Roxy's bar was appropriately named 'The Neutral Zone' as it was a neutral area where the three races weren't at each others throats every damned second.

Dave approached the bar, tonight's tender was someone he recognized and slid him a nice cold unopened bottle of apple juice. He popped the top and surveyed the dance floor and the woman at the end of bar checking him out. A warm wiggling weight hit him like a freight train slamming into Grand Central station. Walls collapse and rumble went everywhere. And by rumble he meant apple juice since he had chosen that moment to take a large gulp of juice. The freight train wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. She gave great hugs and her energy tasted spicy " You finally showing your face around here after all this time. We missed you Davey." She unwrapped herself from around him taking the stool next to him. Roxy was tall, almost as tall as Jade: slender and athletic, with blonde stringy hair and eyes that may have been too large for her face. The bar tender glared them, Roxy smiled apologetically "Sorry Mich" She called as he walked away. "Anyway," she turned her attention back to him, "When are you gonna DJ for me again?"

"When ever you clear a space for me." He responded, finishing off the bottle.

"Next Saturday cool?"

"Yup. And stop telling Rose whats going between me and Dirk. If you think you can get this alliance going faster you can always give it a shot."

"Dontcha think I've tried. Jeez, both of you are so fucking stubborn!"

"Just stop giving your sister updates."

"Whatever you say." She stood, leaving him alone. Dave stood, striding over to the of the bar. He took the seat next to the woman sitting there and greeted her with his best grin.

Dirk

The pulse died with a smooth hum as the convention attendees left the carpet dance floor for the row of doors that made up the exit. The colored strobe lights went off and the normal ones flashed on. A group passed by the stage, gossiping about how great the show was . Dirk smiled despite himself. The smile turned grim when the room cleared enough that he could see into the back of the room. In the corner stood a short man with a pale face and a sour expression that seemed permanently ingrained in his face was little deeper than usual. Oh yeah, he was in a hell lot of trouble, but a least it was the youngest Noir brother walking towards the improvised platform that made up the stage. He could bargain with Jack, who was climbing the stage, "Would it kill you to let someone know where you're going. Just so we don't get the idea that somebody's dropped you in the middle of the street."

"It might. I'd never go anywhere if I did." Dirk didn't look up as he began to pack up the small items his equipment. The convention's sound crew hadn't started with their own yet.

"You don't even tell Roxy no more"

"Nah, she'd tell you." Jack growled at that.

"What happens when Condy or the black queen hears you out with no one to guard you."

"I'll be fine, as I don't really need a guard, but you're here now so it doesn't really matter now."

Jack crossed his arms over his chest "I'm not here to guard your stupid ass. I'm going to drag you back." The sound crew started packing up, Dirk lowed his voice. "Oh come on. You're here now and I already have a three day pass and I'm working the rave tomorrow." Dirk showed him the three day pass. Jack's expression did not change. "Beside I have dinner waiting." You can eat at home, your highness." Jack snarled, this was not going well.

"Look, I'm sorry for making you worry and I'm sorry for sneaking out again, but I am twenty five years old. I'm not a child anymore and can keep myself safe for a night or two without someone breathing down my throat."

The muscles in Jack's jaw bunched, but he uncrossed his arms "Fine, do what you want." He grunted and dirk could have hugged him. He didn't, of course, instead he slid Jack his room key, telling him the room number of the room he'd be in before the dersite stalked off grumbling about spoiled coffin stuffers- a term the brothers reserved for Dave, Roxy and himself; an endearment of sort- that meant he was still in for a lot of trouble. Oh well.

Dirk left his equipment in a storage room and followed the crowd up the stairs. Most people exit the staircase before the tenth floor, but as he wasn't lazy or hungry enough to brave the dangerously packed elevators Dirk walked up to the twentieth floor. The door opened before he could knock twice r. The room was messy with clothes and stuff brought from the convention and empty besides the dude who opened the door. He sat on the bed. "How was the rest of your set?" Stefan asked, stunting over to the bed stopping in front of Dirk.

"Awesome as usual" Dirk remarked, laying his hands on Stefan's hips. There was a knock at the door, but the human in front of him ignored it in favor of leaning down to press his lips to Dirk's. Dude tastes like oranges. Dirk pulled him down until his back is pressed to the bed. The knocking continued slamming, against the door so hard it shook the hinges. Dirk pulled away, letting him sit up. Stefan opened the door, grumbling something that sounded like can't you see the sign. The voice that answered back made Dirk groan. He was up and trading places with Stefan before he was called. Jack stood just outside the door, his body stiff. The man looked like spontaneous combustion was imminent. "The palace is under attack." he hissed.

They take a return node instead of flying reappearing in the part of the palace that was once a greeting room but now it was just on fucking fire. Dirk beated Jack out of the room, sword appearing at his side already drawn. Two expedience charge at him, weapons drawn. His wings tear out of his flesh quickly and seamlessly the tickling sensation disappearing quickly as his feathers harden. He clears his way with a sweep with of his wings impaling enemies in their reinforcements. Dirk flew though his home in a rage, slaying any Prospitian that wasn't already engaged with one of his men. Jack wasn't far behind them.

They flew passed Becquerel Noir, bloody from battle with gaunt features twisted into a snarl as he kick a dead Prospitian off his sword. "Spades! The juju!" He snarled up to them before cutting into another Prospitian. Dirk changed directions, flying head first into his throne room. Three people were inside; Broderick, Prosit's leader, flipping out of the window leaving broken glass in his wake. Dirk would have gone after were it not for the petite round women kneeling on the floor with her blonde hair so caked in blood it was no longer blonde. Her whole body trembled as she tried to press her hands into the bloody chest of Spades Slick.


	2. Chapter 2

Be Rose

The transportorlizator dropped her a few blocks from her home the walk back to which was mundane, the path well wore under her soles. When she reached her apartment, a man in an ill fitting uniform held the door open for her. "Good evening Ms. Lalonde" the doorman greeted, Rose smiled at him and returned his greeting. The lobby was empty besides the two of them, it was rather late after all. On a whim, she decides to take the stairs instead of the elevator and walk up to the fifth floor. Her apartment was the last one at the end of the hall. There was a little light visible from her bedroom as she opened the door. Rose darted inside and closing the door as quickly and quietly as she could. She slipped her coat off, laid her keys down on the table next to the door, and approaches the door of her bedroom.

A troll sat on the edge of her bed, her back to the door, curled around a notebook that she wasn't supposed to read out of. Her light taken a green tint, the same color that was dusted across her cheeks. The bio-luminescence was not a trait unique to just this troll, but Rose always associated it with her. Rose approached her bed slowly before pouncing, wrapping her arms around the troll's throat . "You're not supposed to read that yet, Kanaya" Rose whispered in her ear. She jumped, turned, the green in her cheeks a little more pronounced. "Rose I...I'm sorry I couldn't help my self" she returned the embrace, the feel of her skin was not warm but the hug was still enjoyable. Rose pulled away to see her face "So how is it? Does it live up to your expectations so far?"

"It is really really good. When does your publisher want it?"

"By the end of February." Rose moved little closer, "I did not expected you tonight. Are you hungry?"

"No, not really. The Heiress has chosen a location for the meeting. I was asked to pass it on to you."

The location is on a little white sheet of paper, the coordinates written in honey colored ink. Rose tucked it away. Kanaya sat the notebook beside her and pulled Rose closer. They stayed like that for awhile, talking about the newest happening within Prospit, the brooding caverns, and the rebellion. Kanaya's voice sounds a little odd as the topic of the cravens comes into the conversion.

"Kanaya, is something wrong?" Rose asked.

Kanaya looked taken back, "No no no, nothing is wrong. Why do you ask?"

Rose did not respond, she just looked at Kanaya observing how her fangs pinched her bottom lip ever so slightly, how green her eyes were as they avoided contact with her own, how she stiffen when Rose leaned closer. Rose poised her lips to breath Kanaya's name when... "Oh alright, something is wrong." She took a deep, shaky breath and for a moment Rose thought she 'd made a critical error in pushing Kanaya.

"The cravens had gotten significantly worse. The patrols have increased because the empire is assured that the rebel has found their way into the tunnels. They are not wrong about that and the extra patrols would not be a problem..." She took another breath, "as no one knows every in and out of the tunnels. I mean they spread all over the world." Kanaya rambled, Rose did not interrupt. "Anyway, patrols would not be a problem were it not for the very public and painful punishments doled out to those who break the rules. The most recent happen this morning in my conglomerate. They forced us all out of our hives to watch" Rose took her hand with it's callous yet some how delicate fingers. Tears slid down her cheeks. "As she was turned into a rainbow drinker. Rose, they slit her open and took her horns. They let her die slowly. She wasn't even one of the traitors." She sobbed harder, rose pulled her closer.

"It is not your fault." She spoke softly "It is not your fault. You are not responsible for a broken system."

"Bu if the jades working under Feferi were to crease? Would it really make that much of a difference to the rebellion."

" Yes it would; the heiress' commutation network would be crippled. The punishments would continue and your sisters would continue suffering in vain." Kanaya didn't respond to that right away, but she did not pull away either. A few minutes later she added, "You are right of course. At this point ending our work besides, we are fighting for our freedom." She looked a lot more hopeful but then her face fall again. "I don't know how much longer I can risk coming to see you." Rose pressed herself further into the bed "I expected that would happen sooner or later. It is dangerous for you to traverse out of the cravens to see me for social visits." Kanya nodded, "Which is why we should enjoy the time we have together."

Much sooner than either of them would have liked Kanaya found herself sliding out Rose's bed, allowing her horns to phasing into her skull and as the grey of her skin became a more reddish- brown Kanaya slid on the jacket she had brought with her. Rose left the bed as well, "I forgot to ask, did your dancestor and her hive mate ever seek political asylum with Derse?" She asked as they approached the door. This question drew a heavy sigh. "No. They are both too stubborn and too assured of their safety in the cravens. They did, however, move much deeper underground into a more secure location. At least I hope it's more secure."

Kanaya kissed her before leaving: it was always odd not having to kiss around fangs. Once the door was closed and locked, Rose turned to her apartment, with it's pale creams and much darker accents, deciding what to do with the rest of her night. She had barely taken a step away from the door when her vision went dark and everything went silent. Rose felt her body hit the floor and realized with a sort of resigned horror that this vision was going to be painful. The vacuum of sensation was filled a voice, accented and garbled, she could not make sense of what was said. Rose felt her own mouth begin to move before there was a flash of white light and pain. Lots of pain; a wet searing heat that spread from just under her breast to her belly button.

There was a pool of blood forming under her. And she could hear one more disembodied voice, still completely incomprehensible, more lights, adding red and blue to the now hazy white. She was passing out, no the person in vision was, the voices getting farther away. The lights were being consumed by the darkness, but the pain was still vivid and searing. New, only slightly more coherent, voices were replacing the garbled ones. They were all speaking at once, thousands of little voices all at once, the force of them hurt.

'One at a time!' Rose screamed, she was never sure if that particular bellow was out loud or just a thought. It was ignored eveytime she said it.

After an eternity of listening to the storm of voice, she could finally make sense of something being repeated over and over again. "The one who honors their blood yet abhors it must be wary of threats within as well as without." Rose woke up so after that, greeted by the blindingly bright morning sun shining thought her balcony doors. She groaned into the carpet metally praising it for it's softness. She would have continued to lay there, were it not for the aforementioned sun. Rose definitely needed the blackout curtains hanging in her bedroom, but need the bathroom more.

Standing after a vision was always a spectacle, walking was even worse , but over the years Rose had managed to learn to stay upright most of the time and usually only fall once on her way to the bathroom, she hadn't fallen once this time, she was ever improving. Once assured the contents of her stomach would stay such, Rose went over to sink to stare in the mirror. She was, as always a horrifying sight, crying, the tears emitting a white light as they made tracks over her round cheeks, and her pale blonde hair standing on end. Her headband was missing, probably abandon on her living room floor. Her eyes were still miscolored, the white of her eyes having swallowed the iris and pupil whole. Rose blinked; once, twice, three times before her eyes went back to normal and the tears stopped. She didn't bother with her hair. Rose walked out of her bathroom and straight into her bedroom, kicking off the boots that had been on for hours, she slid underneath her covers and stared into the darkness. She closed her eyes, letting the vision's details bounce around the inside of her skull and deciding not to tell Doctor Scratch about this vision.

Be The )(eiress

"Meehah please, you don't .. you don't have to go." she said, standng in the doorway of the bedroom Meehah shared with Aranea. Fuchsia slid down her cheeks. Meehah turned to her,sitting the trident and the cloth she had been using to shine it down. "Whale you stop your blabbin'", that made Feferi cry harder. Meehah signed, walked until she could touch the young troll, and kneel. It didn't make much of a difference, Meehah still towered over her.

"I do gotta go" Meehah said softy, "If I dont no one will and Condy will come and kill you. And I need you alive. Who else gonna rule the empire. Shore as hell aint gonna be me." Meehah laid a hand on her shoulder, "When this is over the empire's gonna need a lot of fixin so you gotta be tough, lright suckerfish?" Feferi wiped her tears away, bobbing her head up and down. Meehah smiled, all her jagged shark teeth on display, the hug she pulled Feferi into surprised her. Meehaeh let go quickly and stood, "Meehah, Cronus is here." Aranea said, from the hall. Meehah nodded, picked up her double sided trident and walked out of the room. She didn't say goodbye.

The grubloaf sat half eaten on a bed of rice and mixed vegetables, well mostly lima beans now that Feferi had picked out all the carrots and corn. Eridan sat next to her, his plate was almost clean and a text book larger than he was in front of him. It was about magic and both of them were supposed to be reading it. The lights dimmed over their heads; it wasn't an odd occurrence in the small hive Aranea and Meehah shared, still Feferi looked up, watching as dust fell into her plate from the trembling roof. Another regular ourrcurce. Aranea ran into the room: a very visible flush of cerulean across her cheeks. Her eyes showed too much yellow. She moved to the closet door, held it open, the hive shook again. "Get in" She spoken quickly and clearly, before either of them could speak. "T8 everthing w8 you and stay q8. You must NOT m8 a sound or come out 8efore I say so. I don't say so: es8pe though the tunnel just like we practiced. Do NOT come 8ack for m8. Do you underst8?"

Feferi nodded, clearing the table of both sets of dining ware while Eridan carried the text book. The door closed behind him, leaving them in almost darkness. The old wooden door had a few cracks in it just large enough to see out of. Eridan crawls passed her, passed piles of Meehah's and Araena's belongings, to a little trap door not to much wider than she was. Feferi planted herself by in front of the cracks to watch Araena move about the room . She watched her push the chairs under the table, watched Araena something from a canister which she promptly tucked back into the folds of her blight blue dress, heard the sound of boots hitting the wooden floors approaching the sitting room. Araena kneeled in the center of the room, her horns to the floor. Two unknown trolls entered the room- land dwelling highbloods-sweeping the room like deep purple waves.

The two followed Eridan's predecessor, a troll she only knew as Dualscar, walked into the room and out of her line of sight. "Araena, wwhere is Eridan. Cronus was suppose to bring him here!" Araena did not lift her head, "I have not seen him, Lord Ampora." Araena said calmly. Dualscar growled, then went silent as more foot steps abused the well worn wood floor of the underground hive, heels this time. The wearer of those heels, fuchsia stilettos to be exact made fefei's collapsing and expanding vascular system stop working. )(er Imperious Condescension had just entered the room. "Fef wwhats goin on?" Eridan whispered beside her, Feferi didn't respond, just watched as the Condesce glides in and out of her line of sight: all gold jewelry and black hair that looked more like tentacles than hair, as she surveying the room carrying a golden trident that matched Meehah's.

"I like what you've done with the place, Araena." the Condesce purred.

"Thank you, your Cond..."

"Remind me, W)(O gave you this hive in the first place, Araena? Better yet, tell me who let you live after your predecessor's part in that weakass of rebellion. Who let you and meehah live?"

"You did, your impe..."

"So why did that BITCH try and cull me tonight hm? After I so graciously let her live!" She paced into Feferi's line of vision around Araena like a predator.

"I do not kn..."

"But you do know, tell me why did I let Meehah live?" the Condesce prodded Araena's head up with the edge the trident until she was looking at the Condesce.

"Meehah renouced the throne and proved herself useful to you by proving information.."

"None of that includes hiding the heir to ma throne Araena." Feferi took notice of the shakng in Araena shoulder. The Condescension saw it too.

"I swear to you I have no knowlege of another tyanart troll besides yourself and Meehah, my lady."

The Condesce took a deep breath "Then what was your morail doing tonight?"

"I do not know" The Empress made a sound deep in her throat that Feferi could not describe but she moved the trident away from Araena's throat which had to be a good thing.

"I do not know whether or not you are telling the truth, but either way you are useless."

The trident moved and then cerulean was all Feferi could see. Distantly, she heard Araena's body slumped to the floor. Eridan pulled her away from the door and she realized her own hand covered her mouth. "Fef,wwe need to go." She felt her body shake, the weight of the hand on her shoulder didn't seem to be coming from Eridan. ""Fef,wwe need to go." Eridan's mouth was moving, but the voice was not coming from him.

Her body jerked into a sitting position, eyes opening to see the dusty rafters of a warehouse instead of the low ceiling of Araena's closet. The warehouse was brightened with the coming dawn and the light was burning her unadjusted eyes. Eridan leaned over her face, full of concerned; older now, his eyes were almost finished taking in the violet color of his blood or they would be the color of his blood if he wasn't already in his human appearance. Gog, she felt foolish, dawn was already here and she was still in her bed..sleeping bag. "Sorry Eridan, I overslept." well that sounded pathetic as soon as it left her lips. Eridan sat back on his hunches,"it's ok fef but wwe really should be moving on. Sol was suppose to meet us so."And he did not sound happy about it as he stood.

She stood too; bending back down to roll up the sleeping, the denim short chafing her thighs, they were getting too small. Feferi allowed her horns to slip back into her skull and her skin to darken to brown rather than the grey of a young troll. All trolls could perform this magic despite their aptitude in the art. She tucked her very few belonging into her knapsack and slid the straps over her shoulders before pulling her trident from her strife specibus. Eridan had been ready to leave for a while now and stood by the door that would be leaving out of- Ahab's Crosshairs in his hands, armed and ready- he was the first out the door sweeping their surroundings for enemies. They looked silly as they crept about the property but who cares about looking silly. It wouldn't have been the first time empire soldiers were waiting to ambush them outside of their camp.

The industrial area of this town was pretty much abandoned, so they didn't run into anyone as they walked the streets. A few cars pass them, morning commuters on their way to work, when they reached the more populated parts of the city, they moved though alleyways. Sollux waited near an opera house of all places: standing on the street hunched over, wear a black hoodie too thick for today's warm weather. When he saw them he dropped his knapsack and pulled Feferi into a tight hug. "Missed you FF" His voice was low. it made her smile, "Missed you too." she murmured against his shoulder. Eridan cleared his throat. Sollux growled in response, but they pulled away from one another.

"Wwhere are wwe headed to next, Fef?"

Feferi smiled, "We're heading to the base in Mozambique to check on progress there."


End file.
